John Adams (October 30, 1735 - July 4, 1826)
Party: Federalist
Dates of Term: March 4, 1797 - March 4, 1801
Vice President: Thomas Jefferson
Following in the footsteps of George Washington must be hard. John Adams did a fine job though, staying out of the French and British War. However, his signing of the Alien and Sedition Acts, which were decidedly unconstitutional, pulls his grade down to a B.
The most immediate goal of John Adams upon entering the role as president was to avoid entering the war between France and Britain. Through the undeclared naval war and the XYZ Affair, he had to tiptoe himself around this. The naval conflict was a result of France attacking American merchant ships after learning that they were trading with Britain. The XYZ Affair was wholly different in that it was an attempt at peace where Adams sent several officials to meet with France to work out a peace treaty. Nonetheless, the French representatives wanted a large bribe before even speaking to the American agents, who quickly refused what was considered an extremely embarassing demand. These actions created much tension and with animosity growing among the American people and figures like Alexander Hamilton strongly pushing for battle, he acted smartly and kept his emotions in check. He restarted peace talks and reduced the friction between the countries.
Adams' second goal was as a safeguard if the first should fail: he wanted to enlargen the military. He beefed up the army and navy significantly. The navy performed very well, only losing one ship while the French lost numerous (The Quasi-War: America's First Conflict). The army was also well trained and led by none other than George Washington. Mission accomplished.
John Adams' relationship with Congress was good, albeit not very extensive. To address policy with France he held a special meeting in which he urged for peace. He recommended a mission be dispatched to discuss differences with France and the expansion of the military as a precautionary measure. His proposals were very well received and all were set in motion.
The only other main collaboration between Adams and Congress were the Alien and Sedition Acts. Drafted by the Federalist Congress, they were designed mainly to curb Republican opposition. They consisted of four parts. The Naturalization Act increased the time required for immigrants to become U.S. citizens. The Alien Friends Act allowed the president to deport any aliens deemed dangerous to the United States. The Alien Enemies Act allowed the president to arrest or deport any alien whose country of origin was at war with the United States. The last act, the Seditions Act, made it a crime to publicly criticize the government. Since most immigrants of the time voted Republican, the administration thought that they could reduce the amount of Republican voters in the country by reducing the number of aliens. Adams signed these into law without protest. There was not much Congressional activity besides these two things.
The most positive action by John Adams was definitely his primary goal, avoiding war. Despite France being aggressive towards U.S. merchant ships, clashes occuring between the U.S. and French navies, and the XYZ Affair increasing resentment towards France, he avoided all out war. He assigned a new diplomatic representative to renew negotiations that were long and slow, but there was finally an agreement, and peace.
His most negative action was signing in the Alien and Sedition Acts. They produced much controversy at the time and angered the citizens. They denied freedom of speech by persecuting any who criticized the government. They also caused many immigrants to leave voluntarily as the government now had choice to deport any immigrants and this caused fear and distrust.
Adams administration had minimal effect on those of future presidents. His policy of avoiding war was quickly ended when Thomas Jefferson, his successor, launched the first Barbary War against the northern states of Africa in his first term. The Alien and Sedition Acts, exluding the Alien Enemies Act, all expired or were repealed by Jefferson, and the people who had been imprisoned were all pardoned. His presidency was also the only that was Federalist. Thus Adams' had little influence on succeding administrations.
In conclusion, America was in better condition after his administration than before. It had avoided a potential major war and built up its military, beginning the foundations of the dominant American armed forces.
Party: Federalist
Dates of Term: March 4, 1797 - March 4, 1801
Vice President: Thomas Jefferson
Following in the footsteps of George Washington must be hard. John Adams did a fine job though, staying out of the French and British War. However, his signing of the Alien and Sedition Acts, which were decidedly unconstitutional, pulls his grade down to a B.
The most immediate goal of John Adams upon entering the role as president was to avoid entering the war between France and Britain. Through the undeclared naval war and the XYZ Affair, he had to tiptoe himself around this. The naval conflict was a result of France attacking American merchant ships after learning that they were trading with Britain. The XYZ Affair was wholly different in that it was an attempt at peace where Adams sent several officials to meet with France to work out a peace treaty. Nonetheless, the French representatives wanted a large bribe before even speaking to the American agents, who quickly refused what was considered an extremely embarassing demand. These actions created much tension and with animosity growing among the American people and figures like Alexander Hamilton strongly pushing for battle, he acted smartly and kept his emotions in check. He restarted peace talks and reduced the friction between the countries.
Adams' second goal was as a safeguard if the first should fail: he wanted to enlargen the military. He beefed up the army and navy significantly. The navy performed very well, only losing one ship while the French lost numerous (The Quasi-War: America's First Conflict). The army was also well trained and led by none other than George Washington. Mission accomplished.
John Adams' relationship with Congress was good, albeit not very extensive. To address policy with France he held a special meeting in which he urged for peace. He recommended a mission be dispatched to discuss differences with France and the expansion of the military as a precautionary measure. His proposals were very well received and all were set in motion.
The only other main collaboration between Adams and Congress were the Alien and Sedition Acts. Drafted by the Federalist Congress, they were designed mainly to curb Republican opposition. They consisted of four parts. The Naturalization Act increased the time required for immigrants to become U.S. citizens. The Alien Friends Act allowed the president to deport any aliens deemed dangerous to the United States. The Alien Enemies Act allowed the president to arrest or deport any alien whose country of origin was at war with the United States. The last act, the Seditions Act, made it a crime to publicly criticize the government. Since most immigrants of the time voted Republican, the administration thought that they could reduce the amount of Republican voters in the country by reducing the number of aliens. Adams signed these into law without protest. There was not much Congressional activity besides these two things.
The most positive action by John Adams was definitely his primary goal, avoiding war. Despite France being aggressive towards U.S. merchant ships, clashes occuring between the U.S. and French navies, and the XYZ Affair increasing resentment towards France, he avoided all out war. He assigned a new diplomatic representative to renew negotiations that were long and slow, but there was finally an agreement, and peace.
His most negative action was signing in the Alien and Sedition Acts. They produced much controversy at the time and angered the citizens. They denied freedom of speech by persecuting any who criticized the government. They also caused many immigrants to leave voluntarily as the government now had choice to deport any immigrants and this caused fear and distrust.
Adams administration had minimal effect on those of future presidents. His policy of avoiding war was quickly ended when Thomas Jefferson, his successor, launched the first Barbary War against the northern states of Africa in his first term. The Alien and Sedition Acts, exluding the Alien Enemies Act, all expired or were repealed by Jefferson, and the people who had been imprisoned were all pardoned. His presidency was also the only that was Federalist. Thus Adams' had little influence on succeding administrations.
In conclusion, America was in better condition after his administration than before. It had avoided a potential major war and built up its military, beginning the foundations of the dominant American armed forces.
Bibliography:
1. "John Adams" Biography of John Adams. 6 September 2009. <http://whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/johnadams/>.
2. "John Adams" Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2009. 5 September 2009. <http://encarta.msn.com>.
3. "John Adams" Wikipedia. 5 September 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_adams>.
4. "The Quasi-War: America's First Conflict" About.com Military History. 9 September <http://2009.militaryhistory.about.com/od/navalbattles16001800/p/quasiwar.htm>.